Fairfax County saw a slight uptick in COVID-19 cases this past week, but the overall level of community transmission remains low.
After seeing mostly double-digit daily caseloads during the previous week, the Fairfax Health District — including the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church — reported 157 new cases on Wednesday (March 23), 154 cases on Friday (March 25), and a total of 249 cases over the weekend, including 75 new cases today (Monday).
On its data dashboard, the Virginia Department of Health reported all of this weekend’s cases today, pushing the district’s rolling seven-day average up to 117 cases — the highest it’s been since March 9.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still classifies the county’s community transmission level as low based the case rate per 100,000 residents (52.55), new COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 residents (1.6) and the percentage of staffed inpatient beds used by patients with confirmed COVID-19 (1.5%).
Overall, the district has recorded 179,419 total COVID-19 cases, 4,446 hospitalizations, and 1,485 deaths during the pandemic. The four most recent confirmed deaths, based on the date of death, came during the week of March 5.
The omicron variant is still responsible for majority of cases in the area, but a subvariant known as BA.2 has been gaining ground. It is behind 34.9% of infections in the mid-Atlantic region, which includes Virginia, according to the CDC.
The subvariant is more transmissible than the original omicron variant and triggered a new surge in cases across Europe this month.
However, scientists say it does not appear to cause more severe illnesses. Vaccinations remain effective at preventing severe illness and death, and the similarities between the variants means that people who were infected with omicron may have some immunity to BA.2.
According to the Fairfax County Health Department, vaccinations in the district have slowed to a crawl, with only about 200 more residents obtaining a first dose since last Monday (March 21).
As of today, 965,535 district residents, or 81.6%, have received at least one vaccine dose, including:
- 90.6% of people 18 and older
- 96.8% of 16-17 year olds
- 92.5% of 12-15 year olds
- 52.9% of 5-11 year olds
There are 873,032 fully vaccinated residents, which is 73.8% of the population, including 82.5% of adults.
In Fairfax County, 477,892 people — or 41.5% of residents — have gotten a booster or third dose, including 50.7% of adults and 32.6% of people aged 12 to 17, VDH’s data dashboard shows.
Recent Stories
Good Thursday evening, Fairfax County. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar. 🕗 News recap The following articles were published earlier…
A look at the most and least expensive single-family homes sold in Fairfax County last month, April 2024.
An officer who fatally shot a McLean man in 2022 violated Fairfax County Police Department policies, but the shooting itself was within policy and legal bounds, a new report on…
The historic Ellmore Farmhouse at Frying Pan Farm Park has finished renovations and is now ready to offer programming for adults with disabilities. The two-story farmhouse, which dates back to…
The Blue Swallow Farm Foundation is holding an online auction to celebrate three years of helping students and educators in outdoor instruction. We invite you to participate in our online auction to support our mission of providing authentic, outdoor experiences for children. This event not only serves as a fundraiser for our initiatives but also as an opportunity for you to acquire unique items and experiences while making a positive difference in the lives of students and educators. You can preview auction items and then register as a bidder. Bidding will begin on May 4. The bids will close on May 8. Proceeds will assist us in helping educators build outdoor classrooms, developing high-quality curriculum materials and professional development workshops, sending teachers and students to environmental youth summits, and assessing the benefits of outdoor learning.
Good news, D.C. area. You can save money on your next home cleaning with Well-Paid Maids. It’s easy!
We offer a discount when you set up recurring cleans — and the discounts just increased this week!
For weekly cleans, get $30 off each cleaning.
Pedal with Petals Family Bike Ride
Join us on Saturday, May 11th and ride into spring during our Pedal with Petals Family Bike Ride. Back for its second year, Pedal with Petals is going to be bigger than ever. This year’s event will include both an
Encore Creativity for Older Adults at Capital One Hall
Encore Creativity for Older Adults is pleased to raise the curtain and welcome community members to its spring concert at Capital One Hall in Tysons, VA on May 4, 2024. The concert, which starts at 3 PM, will bring hundreds
